Celestial
by bstarqueen
Summary: Lucy has been gone for three years, captured by a mercenary guild. Natsu has been looking for her ever since. (Title in Progress)
1. Chapter 1

Hey guys, this is my first fanfic that I have posted on this website and I hope to keep it going! Sorry if there are any typos because I sometimes change my mind about a couple things and I change it immediately and I try and look over it all but sometimes I miss details that needed to be changed. Leave me feedback about what you think and if you like it, I'll try and get as much out as possible! Thank you so much!

* * *

**Lucy **

**Date: July 3. Time: Midnight. Target: F, 18 years, brown hair, green eyes. No threat.**

She finished her work like she was told: emotionless, silent, and without hesitation. The young woman cleaned off her knife in the river before going back to the dark and cold holding cell for who knows how long before she saw the outside again. She looked in the sky and wondered, 'Do they miss me?'

Lucy woke up in the morning to a rattling on the door and her food and clothes were pushed in the slot and quickly closed again. She sat up on her cot and ran her fingers through her wavy blonde hair down to her hips before getting the clothes from the door and her small ration of food for breakfast: a biscuit, glass of orange juice, and an apple. As she silently ate, her mind kept going back to the memories of when she was free. She missed the feeling of being with her friends, going on jobs and having her butt saved, but she most of all missed kicking a certain rose-haired mage out of her room when he arrived uninvited. Her eyes started to sting, but she soon dismissed it, reminded that if she showed any emotion she would be beaten.

She was brought back from her dream-like state from another rattling on the door, a reminder that breakfast was over. She pushed the tray through the slot, and before the slot could close, she saw a note with black embroidery slide through, noting that she would soon have another mission. She picked up the piece of paper and unfolded it.

**Date: July 7. Time: 2 AM. Target: F, ? years, platinum blonde hair, steel eyes. EXTREMELY DANGEROUS.**

She sighed at the mission in front of her. Many of them have been labeled as "EXTREMELY DANGEROUS", but none of them have ever presented a problem to her. She folded the note back up and put it on her cot as she muttered, "I guess that's what happens after three years of numbing and training from hell." Her mind went back again, to that fateful mission… that she took on herself… after she got into a terrible fight with her teammates…

**3 Years Ago: Lucy **

_She looked to the sky, trying to see if the sun had any chance of shining. After a couple minutes, she gave up. She grabbed her bag of clothes and went out her apartment door and said to herself, "Why is it whenever I get into a fight with my friends, the missions I take alone are so gloomy? I want something DIFFERENT for a change…" She had her keys on her right hip, her Fleuve d'Etoile on her left, and walked with her head up high, determined that this solo mission would be different._

_Man, was it DIFFERENT… But not how she wanted it to be._

_She ended up against a wall, wrists chained above her head and ankles tied down as a man plunged a syringe into her hip near her bone. She screamed in agony as the syringe nearly hit her bone and she was thrown on the ground for guards to take her to her cell. She lost her consciousness as the guards dragged her and she woke up at, what seemed to be, dawn._

_She looked around at the brick cell with a cot, toilet, sink, and a nightstand. She then noticed the door, iron, with no handle on the inside, but just a slot for what seemed to be used for food and other items. After she fully came back to her senses, she felt a pain in her left hip, in-between the joint. A man knocked on her door, startling the poor girl, and slid a thick envelope through the slot._

_She opened the envelope and read the contents inside:_

Miss Heartfilia,

Welcome to my home. My name is Luc and I am now your master. This is a mercenary guild. No need to know the name. Besides, all clients are private. We are not well-known and we intend to keep it that way. That is why we have you. You shall do everything I say without any hint of resistance, no emotion, and most importantly, you shall NOT try and escape. If you do, the chip implanted in your left hip will give you an electric shock; however, it won't hurt you. It's a stimulation of the nerves and the mind; the nerves send the brain signals of pain, when there really is nothing truly causing the pain. So your life is not in danger my dear. Your breakfast shall be at 5:30 in the morning, lunch at 11:30, and dinner at 6:30. Training shall begin at 6 in the morning, continue after lunch at noon until 5:30, then an hour of leisure time, and then back to your cell for the rest of the day. A couple times a week, you will be given a mission, each with a new client. The note given will be a stationary with black embroidery and inside it contains details: when, sex, age, hair color, eye color, and if they are dangerous or harmless. Your toiletries, daily clothes, and mission clothes shall be given to you when the time comes, as well as specifics on the mission. I have nothing else to say except that the training will be excruciating. Rest well my dear, for you have a busy life ahead of you. Au revoir!

~Luc

_She slumped down against the wall, tears forming in her eyes, as she realized what had happened. "I've been taken as a slave. I'm now a PAWN for someone else! They even have me micro chipped like a freaking dog!" She punched the wall and immediately felt a shock in her hip, causing her to curl into the fetal position, writhing in agony. She stayed curled into the wall, skipping her meals, and only moving to use the restroom or grab a glass of water from the sink. She woke up the next morning to the sound of a loud rapping at her door. She opened her eyes and realized she was changed, lying on her bed, and tucked in. She looked towards the iron door and saw a plate of food lying on the ground. She reached for it, and once she did, a set of clothes also were led through the slot: a pair of thin shorts, a shirt of the same material, a cheap sports bra, and a pair of somewhat nice underwear. She felt her eyes stinging and whispered, "I have to get out of here… I want my friends back. I want my happy, dysfunctional, sometimes screwy life back. But not before I get stronger. Just you wait, Natsu. I will be stronger than you."_

**3 Years Later**

**Lucy **

Lucy's mind flashed back to present time when she felt a small shock in her hip. As time went on, the pain decreased because she had gotten used to the feeling. She had improved quite a bit through her three years of continuous training. It was living hell, though. However, it reaped beneficial results. Her body was more toned she had amazing stamina as well as nearly superhuman strength, agility, flexibility, and silence.

She changed into her training clothes and prepared to go and face several hours of pain.

**Fairy Tail **

Team Natsu walked into the guild, dejected again because they couldn't find their friend. Everyone else pretty much gave up, even Master – who cared more for his kids than his own life – was giving up hope on finding the mage, but not Natsu. Day after day, he would drag his team along in hopes of finding his best friend: the girl he still didn't understand that he loved. He sat down at the bar and heard a voice behind him: "Oi Flame Brain, why don't we just give up now" questioned a moody and irritable ice mage. Natsu turned on his heels and pinned his friend and teammate to the wall: "Don't you DARE give up on Lucy. We WILL find her. I KNOW she is still alive… She has to be…" He dropped the ice mage when he saw Erza look towards them menacingly and walked away.

**Natsu **

He stormed out of the guild like a bat out of hell. He refused to believe that she was gone. He knows she's stronger than that; she can make it through anything. As he climbed in through her window, for the first time in a year now, a wave of nostalgia hit him as he realized where he unconsciously headed. Lucy's apartment. He breathed in deeply and immediately relaxed: 'It still smells like her.' He sat on her bed, which had been unchanged since she left, and curled under the covers. He tried to sleep, but couldn't; his mind was racing with too many thoughts of her: 'Why did she leave? Is she safe? Does she still remember me? Does she still care?' His mind crossed out the last one, remembering what he did to her and cringing at the thought. He turned over in the bed and closed his eyes, willing himself to sleep.

** 3 Years Ago: Fairy Tail **

**_Lucy_**

_It was a gloomy day, after a bad mission, and Lucy was sitting at the bar with Mira reading a magazine. She glanced up from the article at the bartender cleaning glasses: "Mira, is it me that keeps causing the problems? I'm nowhere NEAR the strength everyone else in the team is. I'm a long distance fighter, and everyone is so versatile; they can do long range and short range. All I can do is call on my spirits to save my ass when something happens." The bartender put the glass and the rag down and patted the Celestial Mage on the head: "Lucy, everyone has different types of magic. To me, I think it brings the team together. Not ONLY do you have a strong magic power and you don't recognize it, but you bring everyone closer. Ever since you joined, Natsu, Gray, and Erza have gotten along better, Wendy joins on missions once in a while, when they suit her strength and ability, and everyone in the guild seems much happier."_

_Lucy wouldn't have any of it. She leaned against the counter and stared Mira down as she whispered, "Then WHY THE HELL am I the cause of THAT" she pointed to a Natsu with a gash going down his arm and burns on his shoulders and back." Mira was at a loss for words and then turned back to her work. Lucy, realizing that she had won her little spat with Mira, put her head back down to her magazine._

**_Natsu_**

_Natsu was talking with Erza and Gray as he had Wendy heal his burns and held a cloth and pack of ice to his bleeding arm. He sighed as he looked to his teammates with emotional pain in his eyes: "I think Lucy needs a break from Team Natsu so she can grow stronger." They looked at Natsu with wide eyes and dropped jaws at what he said. Natsu tried to clear his name and said, "It's not because of this" he motioned to his injuries, "it's because I don't know what would happen if one of us wasn't there to protect her if she were in serious danger. She's my best friend and I don't want any of us to be the cause of her dying." He looked back at his teammate and she seemed to be talking with Mira. As he looked back, he saw his other teammates nod in agreement, although reluctantly._

_Wendy was the first to speak as she finished healing Natsu burns the best she could: "I know what you mean. I don't want to leave my nakama behind, and if something were to happen…" She trailed off because everyone else knew what she was going to say. Natsu looked back again and saw Lucy arguing with Mira. Erza caught his attention next by saying, "Nose goes!" Everyone, even the rest of the guild, put their finger to their nose. Of course, Natsu was last. He grimaced and reluctantly got up from his seat, knowing that if he didn't word this PERFECTLY, which was impossible for someone like him, Lucy would flip. He turned and started walking toward his friend._

**_Lucy_**

_She was reading her magazine when she felt a small tap on her shoulder. She turned around and saw a pained look on Natsu's face and everyone turned away from them: "Hey Lucy…" She suddenly got worried. He NEVER said her full name unless there was someone terribly wrong. Her stomach dropped as she heard the next words, "I was wondering if you could leave Team Natsu for a while?" Lucy realized she must've had an extremely ugly face when she heard that because Natsu suddenly looked like he wanted to throw up. He started to explain, but as he went on, all she heard were jumbled words and eventually she heard nothing at all when tears blurred her vision._

_She got up from her chair, not wanting to even try and hear the rest of the explanation, picked a random request from the bored, showed Mira quickly and then walked out of the guild. She couldn't stand being in the same place as him._

**_Natsu_**

_He followed. He called out to Lucy and eventually caught up. She wasn't walking fast. He grabbed her arm and turned her towards him. As soon as he did that, he heard and felt a __***SLAP***__ across his face. He looked back at her as he held his cheek, and saw that her eyes were red from crying and her nose was running: "YOU ASSHOLE! I TRUSTED YOU! YOU SAID YOU WOULD NEVER ABANDON ME!" She yelled at him, making him feel smaller and smaller the longer she went on. He froze in spot and watched her walk off into her apartment. He didn't dare follow her. He went back home, hoping to find a way to apologize to her, but he ended up falling asleep._

_The next day came. He woke up, cheek still sore from impact. He jumped out of bed and ran to Lucy's house as fast as he could, hoping she didn't leave. He climbed in through her window. He looked around everywhere and found a note on her dresser. It read:_

Fairy Tail,

I'll be leaving for a while after this mission. I want to get stronger. I want to be able to fend for myself and not rely on other people to save my ass. I believe I'll be gone for a year or two, but before I go, I will stop at the guild one more time. I want to let you all know that this is my choice. I choose to leave and I don't regret it. I will be back someday and I will be able to match many of you. I promise you that. I have attached some letters to my friends:

Erza,

You are a sister to me and I will never forget your kindness. You are such a nice woman and I feel lucky to have worked with you. I am aiming to be stronger than you, so be prepared! I also promise that when I get back, I will buy you all the cakes you want. All the strawberry cake you can eat! I promise. Keep Natsu and Gray in line for me, okay?

Gray,

You're like a brother to me. A perverted stripping brother, but still a brother. Don't get into so many fights with Natsu while I'm away; it disrupts the guild and it makes me worry about you two. Also, please don't strip too much. Not only does it get embarrassing, but your clothes sometimes land on other guild members.

Wendy,

Silly girl, don't be so sad. I will be back. I will be back and stronger than ever! You are like a little sister to me and I never want to make you think I am abandoning you. Everyone needs some space to grow. I want you to understand that. Please, don't forget to stand up for yourself! You're strong and so brave. Don't let anyone else tell you otherwise. Also, don't force yourself on missions that you know you don't want to go on. Everyone has limits, and that includes you.

Natsu,

Sayounara.

~Lucy

_Natsu ran to the guild as quickly as his legs would take him and he nearly broke the door off its hinges. Everyone quickly turned their attention to Natsu who was panting and about to fall over. Once he caught his breath he said, "Lucy's… gone!"_

**Present**

**Lucy**

It was now July 7th, the day of the mission she was assigned. She geared up in her usual black garb, consisting of stretch pants, a pair of stick-on pads to guard the balls of the feet and prevent noise, a long-sleeve shirt, a cloak, a mask to hide all but her eyes, and an array of weapons hiding underneath the cloak. She stood at the door, waiting for it to open, and when it did, she was escorted to Luc's chamber.

She entered the room and bowed to one knee before him. He motioned her to stand up and said: "Remember dear girl, your target is not to be played around with. She is 21 years of age, has platinum blonde hair, and steel eyes." He picked up a piece of paper and motioned for her to come closer to him. As she started getting closer, he held out the paper and said, "This is where the person shall be. There is also a map displaying the route you are to take." Lucy nodded and took the paper. She was about to bow until he stopped her and said, "My dear girl, be safe. Usually these missions aren't as difficult as they seem, but this one will be different, I assure you." She nodded once more, bowed, and left the room to go on the mission.

Once outside of the castle, she glanced at the paper and started sprinting in the direction of where the man was. While she was on her way she said to herself, "I wonder what makes this guy so different," she glanced at the sheet details again. "He doesn't seem to be dangerous. He has a fragile body and his magic is…" she looked on the sheet again, "is… It says, '**Magic: Unknown**'." She stuffed the paper away, ignoring the uneasy feeling in her stomach and ran forward.

Once she reached her destination, she slowed down to a walk and looked at the layout of the house: "The main entrance and guards are here," she points to the southwest end, "the room is here," she points to the northeast end, "and in between there is a courtyard. Not too difficult." She stuffed the map away, sealing it in her memory, and headed toward the area which was the courtyard. Lucy wanted to stay as far away as possible from the main entrance because guards always have been a problem. She jumped over the wall into the garden area and walked towards the room. She walked in the shadows, sheathed her knife, and prepared to enter the room when she heard a loud *THUD*. She snuck back and peeked around to see what was happening. Once Lucy leaned far enough to where she could see, she caught a glimpse of familiar red hair, and then a lock of black hair as well. Her heart dropped when she heard a familiar groan that could only belong to _him_. Lucy gasped and whispered, "Oh no." Lucy did a double-take on what she was currently seeing and had to readjust her plan to make sure Fairy Tail didn't recognize her. Once she was finished, she got into her new position and snuck outside a window which wasn't guarded.

**One Day Earlier**

**_Natsu_**

_Natsu was sitting at the bar, ordering a drink when he heard, "Oi, Flame-Brain! Why don't we go on a mission! We all need money and it'd be nice to get out again." He turned around at the ice mage and smirked: "Did you just say something, Ice Princess?" Natsu got up from the chair and went over to Gray, about to fight when: "Are you fighting?" They both spun around and looked in terror at an Erza with a dark aura around her. They both squeaked, "No Erza!" She smiled and the aura disappeared as she said, "Let's go on a mission! I have one picked out!" The two obliged and went to look at the mission sheet to see what was in store. They read over the sheet and it looked somewhat suspicious, so Natsu asked, "Erza, where did you get this? I've never seen a personal request like this before. It says that the client is private and we were personally asked to do this." Erza shrugged her shoulders and said, "Master gave it to me. Apparently a young woman is being hunted by a mercenary guild and needs to be protected. We are supposed to capture whoever is trying to kill the man and take that person into interrogation. It seemed simple enough, so I accepted." Gray nodded and Natsu nodded as well. Erza smiled and took the sheet and stuffed it into a pocket before saying, "Then bright and early tomorrow morning! The train leaves at 6 AM!" This elicited a groan from the dragon slayer as he was weak with transportation._

_After a couple hours more at the guild and a routine fight with Gray, Natsu left and went home with Happy to prepare for the mission tomorrow. Once he got to the familiar cottage, he sighed and sat on his bed and told himself, "Bright and early. 6 AM…"_

**_Next Day_**

_Natsu woke up to a familiar cat jumping up and down on his chest saying, "Natsu, you're gonna be late! You know what Erza does when someone's late…" Happy cringed at the memory of when he and Natsu were once late to a mission. Not. Fun._

_Natsu hopped out of bed as fast as he could, grabbed a few things, and ran to the train station with mere minutes to spare. Of course, everyone else was waiting for him. "Oi," yelled Gray, "Let's get going! I wanna see what they have there!" Natsu jumped on the train and they left to their destination._

**Present**

**Natsu**

Natsu ended up guarding the backside of the building and saw a shadow move towards the window. As the figure was about to jump in, he called out. He inched closer and observed the movements of this person, thinking, "This person must be a girl. Her movements are so agile and dainty. Her body is also so small under the large cloak she's wearing." As he got closer, he could see she was shivering under his touch, so he found it hard to understand whether she was aroused or terrified. He went with terrified because a high-level mercenary wouldn't be aroused by a mage she has never seen before. Yet terrified didn't make much sense either. Natsu just pushed the thoughts aside and walked up to the girl. He put a finger under her chin, and started lifting her face to him so he could see who this girl was. He recognized the eyes of the person they belong to: those deep brown eyes. Yet he couldn't believe it was her. He never thought she'd still be alive! He just dragged his teammates on missions looking for her to fill up his time, because he didn't want to believe she was gone. Yet her eyes were somewhat different: pain filled and angry. His heart dropped and he said to her: "L-Lucy…" Next thing he knew, he heard her whisper an apology and felt her fist jab into his gut, knocking him out.

**Lucy**

She was about to enter the room when, "Hey you!" Lucy jumped back at the sound of _his_ voice. She hid her face as best as possible before turning to the young man. Her body shivered, not only out of terror, but out of something else she hadn't experienced in years: arousal. She cursed herself as her cheeks heated and her muscles tightened. Natsu inched closer to her and Lucy bowed her head more and more, thinking to herself, "Shit! I can't let him recognize me!"

She was trapped. Once she felt his heat, she couldn't help herself, she relaxed a little and that allowed him to lift her face up, and, from she saw, Natsu looked relieved, heartbroken, and pissed all at the same time. Lucy heard Natsu utter her name, and she just couldn't take it anymore. She whispered an apology and jabbed her former teammate and in the gut. She had just knocked Natsu out. She had to do the same with the others. She remembered a word she had to live by: emotionless. She quickly ran around the house and hit the other two members in pressure points to knock them unconscious as well. Lucy then dragged them to the wall and set them there, making sure they were safe, before entering the room.

She took a deep breath and opened the door. What she experienced was overwhelming. It was some sort of heat, but she felt ice cold as well. She felt energetic, yet exhausted. She felt all sorts of pleasurable and ill feelings that she had to stagger back to put one hand on the wall to try and keep from falling down. She grabbed her head and looked at the person who was sitting on the floor, as if she was waiting for her: "Welcome, child." She looked at the lady, and saw some sort of familiarity, but she didn't know what it was. The lady, who was starting to look more like a young girl, grinned and said, "Don't try and figure everything out just yet, the fun would be ruined." Lucy shook her head and had a puzzled look on her face: "I don't understand. Find out who you are? You don't have any relevancy to me." The girl smiled again, looking more familiar, and said, "That, my dear, is where you are wrong. You will have to figure out yourself another time though, because your friends are waking up. We have been here for nearly an hour now, yet you haven't realized it. I will see you again, Lucy." The girl giggled and suddenly disappeared, leaving Lucy alone. She felt overwhelmed and collapsed. Before succumbing to the darkness taking over her, she saw a faint outline of her three friends and a tear ran down her face.


	2. Wait Lucy?

**Two Days Later**

**Natsu**

Natsu hadn't gotten sleep since Lucy was brought back to the guild unconscious. He had finally found her. He found his friend. The person he had been longer for, for three years! She looks so different. She looks nothing like the Lucy Natsu remembered, except for her big, brown eyes and full, pink lips. Her hair is now down to her waist, and she is much thinner, much stronger. She looks almost deadly, now.

His thoughts were interrupted when he heard a creaking of a door, and the voice of the bartender saying, "You should really get some sleep, Natsu. Lucy will be fine. She is stable, and the lacrima in her hip is gone. She won't be hurting anymore." Natsu sighed and turned around to her, saying, "I can't leave her alone. She is my best friend and I don't want to leave her side ever again. Look at the hell she has gone through. A LACRIMA placed in her hip? What the hell is that even for?" Natsu faced Lucy once again and said, almost painfully, "When we found her unconscious, she looked like she was hurting. I don't want her to hurt again." Mirajane sighed and left a plate of food, a blanket, and a pillow, in case Natsu did want to sleep.

When Mirajane left the room, Natsu focused back on Lucy, looking for slight changes that have happened to her since she left, three years ago. He noticed that, even though they looked the same, her lips were slightly different. He saw small cracks and scars on them. They looked as if she neglected them. He looked at the rest of her face and saw the same thing. She hadn't been fully taking care of herself. He didn't know why he thought she would be the same, he even knew she would be different, but it still shocked him that she hadn't protected her body like it should have been. Natsu reached down and touched her face, as if familiarizing himself with the new Lucy. He knew that the old Lucy would never come back, so he would have to take in the new Lucy, every detail he could: from a small scar at her hairline, to her defined cheekbones, to her lips: chapped and scarred.

Natsu brushed a piece of stray hair away from Lucy's face and rested his hand on her warm cheek. As if his body moved on its own, he leaned down and softly touched his lips to Lucy's. He lingered there a moment, contemplating what he just did, and he realized something and whispered, "So, I love Lucy. This is interesting." Natsu lifted his head back up and put his head on his hands. He smiled and closed his eyes, taking in the moment.

**Fairy Tail**

Lucy opened her eyes and glanced around, trying to see where she was. She slowly sat up and looked around the room. She realized she was at the guild's infirmary. Moving her feet to the edge of her bed, she touched the floor and slowly stood up. Lucy opened the curtain to her right and found someone she longed to see, yet wanted nothing to do with at the same time. She gasped as tears threatened to flow and covered her mouth to muffle the noise, yet that was enough to disturb the sleeping dragon as he had sensitive hearing. She stepped back, hand still over her mouth and tried to hide, but it was too late. He was awake, and he saw her. He looked overjoyed, yet devastated at the same time. She sat on her bed, waiting for the barrage of questions asking why she left, why she never came back, or why she was hurting so much. Instead, she just saw Natsu walk over and kneel on the ground. Lucy had trouble comprehending what had happened. Natsu, the upbeat and fiery dragon slayer, was now on his knees, holding her hand, and crying over her. She couldn't figure out what to say, so she just sat there, letting him cry until he couldn't anymore.

After about ten minutes, Natsu looked back up at her with red eyes and said, "I thought you were dead." This time, it was Lucy's turn to cry. She kneeled down and hugged her friend, and he wrapped his arms around her tight: "I'm sorry, Natsu. I shouldn't have left like I did, but I didn't mean to be gone that long. I was captured and I had no way of leaving." She pulled away and looked at him, smiling a sad smile: "I missed you. A lot." Natsu smiled at her, wiping a tear away and said, "I missed you too. These past three years were hell without you. Everyone was depressed and didn't want to do anything." Lucy frowned at this as a new set of tears began to flow: "I'm sorry. I truly am. But, I need to leave again. I'm physically strong, yes. However, I'm still the same magic level I was before. I need to get stronger. I NEED to." Natsu hugged Lucy tighter and whispered to her, "You're strong enough! Please don't leave!" Lucy sighed at his desperation and whispered, "I can't stay." Natsu pulled away to arm's length and looked her in the eyes: "At least spend a week with us again. I just got you back and I don't want to lose you right away." Lucy crumbled at this. She dug her head into his chest and couldn't answer.

**Next Day**

**Natsu**

Natsu woke up in the morning laying in one of the infirmary beds and looked at the bed next to him and saw that Lucy was missing. He sat up and looked around the room for a familiar face, yet he found none. He put on his vest and walked into the guild hurriedly: "Good morning, Natsu! I'm glad that you got some sleep!" cheered the guild's bartender, Mirajane. Natsu walked up to her and asked, "Where's Lucy?" Mira looked puzzled at the sudden question: "Lucy? Well she's in the infirmary, isn't she? I looked in there an hour ago and she was sleeping on one of the beds. Is she gone?" Natsu kicked the bar and ran back into the infirmary, frantically searching for a note from Lucy, wondering where she could go.

He looked on her bed that she slept in and saw a slip of paper folded on her pillow. He slowly picked it up, not looking forward to what was written down:

_Natsu,_

_I need to go. I need to get stronger. I will be going to a place left by my family and I will be back. I promise you this time. I don't want to leave your side either. I don't want to leave anyone's side again. But this needs to happen. I want to be able to protect myself. I want to be more than a range fighter. I ask your forgiveness of this selfish request. I will be back in no more than five years' time. You can count on that. I will see you when the time comes._

_ ~Lucy_

Natsu crumpled up the note and threw it on the ground. He lost her again.

**Lucy**

Lucy was on the train to a piece of land her parents had left behind for her. Her mother had trained there so Lucy believed she would be able to benefit from training there as well. It was North, in the mountains. Very secluded, from what the map had shown. Lucy looked at the map again and tried to estimate her time: "The train ride itself will take about four or five hours, and it seems I'll have to get off at this stop here and then walk from there to the mountain. That will take a while. Six or seven hours altogether." Lucy folded the map and put it back in her bag. She looked out the window and thought of everything that happened this past day. She and Natsu talked again, they cried together, and she left him with only a note. She not only left Natsu, but she left Fairy Tail with only a note. She got interrupted from her daydream by the tapping of the ticket man, gesturing for the money so she could buy a ticket. Lucy told him her destination, earning a skeptical look from the man, handed him the money, and he put the ticket on the back of her seat.

Lucy sat on the train for what seemed like forever, watching as many different people got on and off. She liked watching people. She liked seeing how many different personalities there are in the world. She saw an old man with a cane who offered his seat to a young pregnant woman who looked like she was going to pop any second. Lucy also saw a teenager, either extremely shy or mute because he looked at each person who came on and he had an expression saying that he desperately wanted to talk with them. People watching is definitely amazing to her. It calms her and gets time to flow somewhat faster.

Lucy finally arrived to her stop. The end of the line. The train had been empty for the past five or ten stations, so she sat alone for the last hour or so. Lucy stood up, gathered her items, and walked off the train, ready to walk to her final destination. One foot after the next, she walked into the town to use the restroom, buy something to eat, and then started heading out to the mountain where the property was.

It took her a total of two and a half hours to reach the mountain. What she saw was breathtaking: the cherry blossom trees were still in bloom with a beautiful color, which was odd for the current season, and there was a small stream running throughout the forest. Lucy walked around the area, looking for any sort of special entrance to anything. She walked around a while and soon she found a crevice in the side of the mountain that looked almost like a door. She walked up to it and pushed, opening the door. She walked inside and felt an overwhelming presence, just like before. She was freezing cold, yet felt like she was in the middle of a desert. She felt so energetic, yet exhausted. She knew this could only mean one thing: the girl she was sent to kill was in this very… cave. She didn't know what to call it. Lucy turned in fear to try and leave the place, but she found no entrance. She turned around once again, and felt as if she should walk towards the source of all the contradictions. While her conscience kept fighting her, Lucy's body kept moving, step by step. The force became so strong that she could barely handle it. Lucy fell to her knees, gasping, unable to move any further: "Well, well, well. What do we have here?" Lucy looked up and saw the same face: steel eyes, platinum blonde hair. The girl smiled at Lucy's reaction: "Welcome back, Lucy."


	3. Who are you?

Lucy's eyes widened at the sight: the girl had an aura around her that gave Lucy the idea that the girl wasn't normal… wasn't… human. She couldn't fully comprehend on what she was seeing, whether it was a bright light from somewhere or a mere illusion. She blinked once, twice, three times, but she still couldn't focus. This caused the girl to laugh. Her giggle sounded like bells lightly swaying in the breeze. It was so enchanting to Lucy. The girl noticed Lucy's stare and that caused her to laugh even more before saying, "Am I THAT beautiful? I had no idea. Well, I haven't aged in the past twenty years, so that explains something." The girl conjured what seemed to be a mirror, and she admired herself, pleased with how she looked. Lucy merely scoffed at the vain action, which caused the girl to look at Lucy and crush the mirror, clearly upset: "Excuse me, Princess, but can't I at least admire my beauty? After all, it HAS been twenty years since I have been able to see myself, no thanks to _you_." The girl pointed a finger at Lucy, and that caught her off-guard. Lucy scoffed at the remark and said, "Why are you blaming this on me? I have nothing to do with you!" The girl scowled at her and an almost guttural sound came out of her throat, causing Lucy to jump: "You listen here, Princess! I have been trapped in a mortal body for twenty years keeping said person ALIVE and THIS is the thanks I get? Unbelievable!"

This caused Lucy to pause and think to herself: _"Wait, she said she has been trapped in a mortal body for twenty years trying to keep someone alive. She's blaming ME for it. She can't mean…" _ Lucy suddenly spoke out, "Wait. You can't mean that…" The girl smirked at Lucy, seeing the wheels turn as she put the pieces together: "Oh NOW she figures it out! Now the little Princess, who I wasted part of my life protecting her for, realizes that we, are in fact, connected. Bravo, Lucy. It took you long enough." The girl crossed her arms and looked at Lucy, who looked shocked at what was just revealed to her and said, "Wait, before this goes any further, tell me something: who are you?" The girl smiled and all of a sudden, the ray of light seemingly shattered, causing Lucy to close her eyes because of how bright it was. When Lucy opened her eyes back up, she saw a sight she hadn't seen in years: the Celestial World.

Lucy gasped at the sight before her: the Celestial World along with all the spirits flying around and going along with daily business. She got up off of her knees and walked over to the girl who had caused this. She tapped on her shoulder and the girl turned around: dressed in a scarlet dress, platinum blonde hair shining, and eyes glowing like the moon. The dress was simple enough: a gown, flowing at the back and above the knee in the front. The top of the dress was embroidered with thousands of crystals in all sorts of patterns, the crystals gradually fading as the dress went on, and simple, white, peep-toed heels two or three inches high. Half her hair was in intricate French braids, with small beaded accents, while the other half was flowing freely down to her hips.

She smiled and said, "Lucy, welcome. I know you have been here before, so why not skip the formalities and get you dressed up." Lucy was about to protest but was pushed towards a couple maids, one of them being Virgo. Virgo gave a small smile to Lucy, and Lucy smiled back, wanting to go and hug her friend she hadn't seen in so long, but she knew now wasn't the time. One maid took Lucy's right hand while Virgo took her left. They both said in unison, "Welcome to the castle, my Princess." Lucy was shocked at what they said and realized she still hadn't been answered as to who the girl who brought her here was. She tried to turn back but was tugged forward into what seemed to be a huge dressing room, made especially for her.

Lucy entered the room and looked around at all the dresses and accessories lying around like candy, so tempting to be taken. The maids said something to Lucy about ringing the bell when she was ready to be dressed, but Lucy didn't fully hear because she was still in awe at everything before her. She walked around slowly, analyzing all the dresses and very lightly touching them, as if any sort of strong contact could break them. Lucy saw all sorts of dresses: long, short, modest, risqué, even dresses that weren't even made out of fabric! She couldn't wrap her mind around it. However, her eyes kept popping back to a single dress. As she was admiring it, the girl came next to her and spoke: "Beautiful, huh? It was made for you when you were a baby. We had a feeling you would like it and you might wear it someday." Lucy jumped at the voice and looked back to see glassy eyes. Lucy choked on her words and finally said, "What do you mean by 'we'? Who are you? Why am I being called 'Princess'? Please just tell me what's going on." She was desperate to know. The girl looked back and smiled, patting Lucy's head in a maternal-like gesture: "My name is Sami. That's all I can really tell you for now. But I think we should hurry and get you dressed. It's nearly dinner and I bet you would like getting to know more about why you're here with everyone around to explain." Lucy merely nodded and ran her hand over the dress once again as Sami pulled it from the rack and hung it in the middle of the room on a hook as she went to get a necklace and earrings to match. Lucy just sat down on a nearby ottoman and played with her fingers, looking around while everything was getting ready.

She was awoken from her stupor when she heard Sami say, "Ok, why not get you dressed? I can't wait to see what this dress looks like on you." Lucy stood up and walked over, removing her clothes until she was in her underwear. Sami slipped the dress on Lucy and laced up the back. Once laced up, Sami called in the maids to do Lucy's hair and makeup. Lucy closed her eyes and relaxed. She loved when people played with her hair. She remembered that Natsu would unconsciously run his fingers through her hair in the middle of the night when he would sneak into her bed for an unannounced sleep-over. Lucy didn't mind. She would just sigh and fall back asleep.

She missed him so much. Lucy didn't want to leave like that, but she had to. She still hadn't fulfilled the promise she made: to be stronger and not defenseless. She missed his warm arms when he protected her. She missed his goofy and infectious smile when he was excited. She missed his love for Fairy Tail and the people in it. She missed everything about him, even the annoying parts: like when he tried to cook for her and nearly burnt down her apartment, or when he tried cleaning and nearly tore up everything she owned. The memories of him made her heart ache and her lip quiver slightly, trying not to cry. Sami noticed this and put a box of tissues in front of her, saying, "It's ok to cry. Crying lets us all know that the people we're crying about are real and that they care about us and miss us too." Lucy meekly nodded and reached for a tissue before lightly dabbing under each eye a few times, absorbing any moisture that had happened to leak out.

About an hour had passed and Lucy was ready for "dinner". She turned around to face the mirror and was pretty shocked at what she saw: an angelic face with big brown orbs for eyes lined by a thin line of black, small pink lips, and her skin was nearly glowing. She was wearing a powder blue floor-length strapless silk gown with a layer of white sheer over the blue with a cluster of jewels at the top of the gown splitting in the middle and bending around to the back and creating a small train of the white sheer fabric and crystals. Lucy's hair had brushed out curls, with half of it tied up by a small clip of silver keys, and the rest was flowing freely. Lucy almost reached out and touched the mirror, not believing what she saw: "You look stunning, Lucy." She turned around to see Sami, smiling widely, and the two maids who had helped Lucy were behind her, in awe. Lucy simply smiled in response as Sami grabbed her arm, pulling her towards the direction of the dining hall.

They walked down a long hallway decorated with all sorts of intricate paintings and statues until they reached a pair of ornate double doors. Sami knocked a couple times before peeking her head in and saying, "Father, she's ready." Lucy heard a gruff voice in the background and Sami and Lucy stepped back as the doors opened.

At the table, there was all of Lucy's spirits watching her with a smile as she walked to an empty spot at the table. There were two spots left: one to the left of the Celestial King, and one to the right. Lucy walked over and the king directed her to his left as Sami sat on his right. The king smiled at Lucy warmly and a rush of heat ran through Lucy, as if she felt some sort of familiarity with him. Well, of course she did, but this felt different, like he was closer to her than she realized. Lucy turned her face back to the table as the king was making an announcement. Lucy looked around and felt all eyes on her, and soon she knew why when the king said, "After twenty years, I would love you all to welcome back my youngest daughter Sami, and my granddaughter, Lucy Heartfilia!" At this, Lucy nearly fell out of her chair and had to pull herself back up and look at the king and said, "Me? Granddaughter? What?"


End file.
